Ares Commercial Real Estate Co. (NYSE:ACRE) Receives $5.81 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate Co. (NYSE:ACRE) have earned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the six ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and five have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $5.81.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on ACRE. StockNews.com raised Ares Commercial Real Estate from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from $6.00 to $5.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from $6.00 to $5.25 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate from $6.00 to $5.50 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate in a research note on Thursday, February 13th.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Stock Down 1.8 %

NYSE:ACRE opened at $4.70 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $257.55 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.22 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.87. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $5.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $6.17. Ares Commercial Real Estate has a 52-week low of $4.61 and a 52-week high of $7.99.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 12.78%. Ares Commercial Real Estate’s dividend payout ratio is -92.31%.

Insider Activity at Ares Commercial Real Estate

In related news, VP Anton Feingold sold 7,615 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.68, for a total transaction of $43,253.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 78,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $445,084.80. This represents a 8.86 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Ares Commercial Real Estate by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,272,163 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $8,907,000 after acquiring an additional 16,309 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,052,314 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $7,627,000 after purchasing an additional 23,845 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 1.0% in the third quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 861,390 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $6,030,000 after purchasing an additional 8,900 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 32.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 605,491 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,566,000 after buying an additional 147,990 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Ares Commercial Real Estate by 19.5% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 591,036 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,481,000 after buying an additional 96,551 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.34% of the company’s stock.

Ares Commercial Real Estate Company Profile

Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation, a specialty finance company, originates and invests in commercial real estate (CRE) loans and related investments in the United States. It provides a range of financing solutions for the owners, operators, and sponsors of CRE properties. The company originates senior mortgage loans, subordinate debt and preferred equity products, mezzanine loans, and other CRE investments, including commercial mortgage-backed securities.